


Home is where the heart is

by Graceybrook



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-18 23:37:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13110900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graceybrook/pseuds/Graceybrook
Summary: Prompt for Secret Santa: Alex and Maggie have been separated for years. One day, they bump into each other out of the blue. They gradually reconnect (despite Kara warning against it and being cautious). Some angst between Alex/Maggie and Alex/Kara. Up to author if Alex and Maggie have new partners or not. Happy ending preferred!!





	Home is where the heart is

**Author's Note:**

  * For [itainthardtryin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itainthardtryin/gifts).



> Thanks to Jess for Beta-ing!

Alex surveyed the body at the docks. She was going to be late home again, this one was going to set them back weeks. This case had already gone on far longer than anyone at the DEO wanted. Sighing, Alex pulled out her phone. “Hey Cassie, I think I’m going to be late home. It’s that case again. Yeah I know. If I’m too late just go to Kara and Lena’s for dinner, or Sam’s, and I’ll meet you there.” 

Something out of the corner of Alex’s eye caught her attention. She recognised those curls, the way they cascaded down that back, stopping just above that ass. Maggie. She was back in National City. Back muscling in on her crime scene. “I’m gonna have to go Cassie, I’ll let you know when I’m done at work.” 

Alex hung up and turned her back on Maggie’s figure. She hadn’t been spotted yet. She had time to compose herself. Time to calm her mind as it raced through all her memories with Maggie. When Alex came out to her at the bar, when she kissed her for the first time, when- “Danvers? What do you think you’re doing at my crime scene?”

Alex scoffed as she turned to face Maggie. “Really Sawyer? You waltz back here after five years and you think this is your crime scene?” Alex crossed her arms defiantly and raised an eyebrow challengingly.

“There’s no sign of extra-terrestrial activity at the scene, there is no reason for you to be here. The victim is human, as is our prime suspect.” Maggie tilted her head and mirrored Alex’s stance, crossing her own arms.

“For your information Maggie, we’ve been watching the victim for the past month. She was connected to an alien smuggling ring and now we’ve lost our only lead to where the aliens are going. So, I would say that it’s very much a DEO matter.” Alex replied squaring up to Maggie, trying desperately to hide the fact her heart was beating a hundred miles a minute. “But if you want to talk semantics then I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got all I need anyway.”

Without waiting for a reply Alex walked away, taking deep breaths and clenching and unclenching her fist as she walked back to her car. She didn’t look back to see if Maggie was watching.

~~~

Back at the DEO Alex and Winn were going through the last movements of the victim. Carla Wright had been a person of interest for weeks when she had started working at the dive bar and aliens had started to vanish one by one. 

“Uh Alex, I found a connection to the victim and you aren’t going to like it.” Winn said looking up from his computer. 

Alex threw her head into her hands and ran her fingers through her hair, “Winn, I haven’t liked anything about this case so just tell me.”

“I was going through her texts and there’s this one number that keeps cropping up-”

“Is it to do with the smuggling ring? Come on Winn I need some good news today.”

“No, it’s not to do with the ring, it’s nothing suspicious it’s just who the number belongs to you won’t like.” Winn swivelled in his chair to face Alex and his eyes went wide.

“Why? Whose is it?” Alex asked, brows furrowed.

“It’s mine.”

Alex turned to follow Winn's gaze, even though she already recognised the voice. Maggie. Hovering by the archway with the agent that had escorted her up. Sighing, Alex stood up. Pushing her chair out of the way she instructed Winn to keep working, knowing full well he would eavesdrop, and walked over to where Maggie waited.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a connection to the victim?” Alex asked, pulling Maggie to one side and crossing her arms.

“I didn’t think-“

“Maggie you’re a cop, if anyone knows about disclosing need to know information it’s you.”

“Yeah I know, and I’d like to help. I want a truce. You help me, and I’ll help you.” Maggie offered, watching the way Alex frowned, fists clenching across her chest. “Drinks on me, all night?” she added, cocking an eyebrow and attempting a smile.

Alex thought for a moment and bit her lip, “Okay, give me 20 minutes to sort some things out and I’ll meet you there.”

Maggie nodded and headed back to the elevator to re-join her escort. Alex watched the doors close before she pulled her phone out and called her sister. “Hey Kara, is Cassie still at yours? We’ve had a development in the case and I’m going to follow it up- it’s nothing dangerous but it just means she may need to crash at yours. I can pick her up when I’m done but I don’t know what time that’ll be. Thanks sis.”

Alex walked back over to Winn, who resumed typing at his keyboard - a clear sign he’d been paying more attention to her and Maggie than to his own work. “Winn, I need you to find out how Maggie and Carla are connected. I don’t know if Maggie will give me a straight answer but if it helps solve this case I need to know.”

~~~

When Alex arrived at the bar she spotted Maggie immediately, sat in a booth at the back, nursing a glass probably filled with scotch. Maggie’s smile didn’t reach her eyes as she noticed Alex walking towards her. “Danvers, I got you a scotch. I think we could both use a stiff drink today.”

“Why am I here Maggie? Why did you come back to National City? When did you come back?” Alex asked, sitting opposite Maggie and taking a swig from her own glass.

“I just needed to see you. I missed you.” Taking a deep breath Maggie continued. “When I left National City, I went to the only place I could - my Aunt’s. She took me in all those years ago when I had nowhere else to go and she let me crash until I got back on my feet. She’d started taking in runaways and helping them like she’d helped me, but she still had room for me. That’s how I met Carla. She was 17 when I went back, she’d been kicked out of her previous foster home when they found her in bed with a girl and my aunt took her in. It was her neighbours who'd kicked her out.

“Carla was there about a year and left for National City a couple weeks after she turned 18. I put her in contact with some old friends and kept in touch with the odd text, I didn’t know she was involved with any smuggling rings.” Maggie downed what was left of her glass before she continued speaking. “I came back a week ago, my Aunt got sick and I'd been trying to reach Carla and let her know but she wasn’t replying. I went to work to report it but there wasn’t much they could do. My Captain called me earlier about the docks and that’s when I found out. I called my Aunt to let her know but her nurse said she’d passed away in the night.” Maggie’s voice broke and a solitary tear rolled down her cheek. “I’ve got no one left.”

“Oh Maggie I’m so sorry.” Alex reached across the table and laid her hand on Maggie’s, moving her thumb back and forward like she used to do to soothe her. “I can’t imagine what-” Alex was interrupted by her phone ringing, looking at the caller ID she paused before looking back up at Maggie who was wiping her eyes.

“It’s okay you can get that.”

Alex smiled softly before picking up her phone. “Hey Cassie. Yeah I’m sorry something came up at work. I should be done in about an hour. I’ll pick up some pizza on my way home, I’m too tired to cook tonight. Love you.” 

Maggie only heard half the conversation, but her ears picked up Alex’s final words… ‘love you’ and she felt her heart break. Alex had moved on. Of course she had. It had been five years after all and she’d be crazy not to.

“I’m obviously keeping you from someone. I’m sorry to have sprung all this on you. I’ll go.” Maggie stood up so hastily she bumped the table making the glasses wobble. 

“Maggie wait don’t go.”

“I’ll see you around Danvers.” 

Alex watched Maggie leave, watched Maggie’s shoulders tremor as she tried to stop the tears.

~~~

Alex knocked on the door to Kara and Lena’s apartment and was immediately met with the sound of running feet. The door opened and arms wrapped themselves around Alex’s waist. “Whoa Cassie, watch the pizza! How was your evening?” Alex exclaimed, holding the pizza above Cassie’s head with one hand and rubbing her back with the other

“Aunt Lena helped me with my math homework and Kara told us we were lame.” Cassie replied as she took the pizza from Alex’s hand and walked back into the apartment.

“Hey Lena thanks for watching Cassie. Something came up at work.”

“No worries Alex, you know we’re happy to watch her. But you know that’s not going to be enough pizza.” Lena said joining Cassie and Alex at the kitchen island. 

“I wasn’t really planning on hanging around, but if Cassie wants to eat here I can’t really stop her.”

“Kara’s on a flight anyway. You should be good for 20 minutes.” Lena chuckled, taking two wine glasses out of the cupboard and pouring one for herself and Alex.

Alex grabbed a slice of pizza and watched as Cassie finished her first slice and picked another up. “Can I tell you something?” Alex asked Lena, slightly under her breath as Cassie looked back over her homework. Lena nodded and Alex continued. “I ran into Maggie today.”

Lena choked on her wine and raised her eyebrows. “What’s she doing back here?”

“It’s kind of a long story, we went for a drink after work but I bailed on her when Cassie called.” Alex replied, taking a gulp from her glass.

“Who’s Maggie?” Cassie asked her mouth full of pizza.

“She’s your mom’s ex-fiancé.” Lena replied before Alex could stop her. 

“Wait Maggie’s back in town?” Alex turned to the window that Kara had just flown through and answered her question with a nod. “Are you going to see her again?” Alex shrugged but batted Kara’s hand away when she reached for a slice of pizza. 

“I don’t know Kara it’s been 5 years. She might have changed her mind about things.”

“Hey Cassie, why don’t we have a look at your physics homework in my office.” Lena said directing Cassie down the hall to give Alex and Kara some quiet.

Kara waited until the door clicked behind Lena before turning back to her sister. “Alex, do you remember when Maggie left? How upset you were? Why would you willingly risk going back to that? You have Cassie to think of now. And Maggie didn’t want kids! Did that magically change?”

“Kara I can’t help it. I still have feelings for her. How would you feel if you and Lena broke up and a few years later you saw her again?”

Kara’s brow furrowed as she again reached for a slice of pizza only to be batted away. “Well for starters I’ve been out flying for an hour let me have a slice. And second, Lena still owns Catco and is in like every week to check up, so it wouldn’t be that long till I saw her again.”

Alex handed her sister a slice before closing the lid and sliding the box down the counter away from Kara. “Fair point. But you still don’t understand. When I first met Maggie everything changed. I thought I was broken and she helped me see that I wasn’t. You’ve got to understand how that makes me feel.”

Kara sighed “I know I can’t stop you from seeing her again. But don’t come to me when she leaves again.”

~~~

The next day Alex went about her day as normal. She woke up, made coffee, thought about having coffee with Maggie, woke Cassie up, made Cassie breakfast, thought about Maggie’s blueberry pancakes, drove Cassie to school and then drove to work. It wasn’t until Alex got to work and saw Maggie at the door did she realise how much she’d thought about her since yesterday.

“Maggie, you can’t keep showing up.” Alex sighed. “Your clearance was revoked ages ago.”

“I know that Danvers, that’s why I’m waiting in reception.” Maggie crossed her arms and tilted her head. “Look I know you don’t want me here, I just want to find out what happened to Carla.”

“I’m about to get an update from Winn. Why don’t you wait here and then we can get a coffee and I’ll let you know what’s going on.” 

~~~ 

“Winn, are we any closer to this smuggling ring?” Alex asked as soon as she stepped off the elevator.

Winn swung round in his chair to face Alex and shook his head. “Carla has a lot of encrypted data on her phone and laptop that I’m still trying to crack. Looks like someone from the bar set it up because it’s not in a language I recognise. But I am working on it.”

Alex shook her head, they were no closer to cracking this case. “Okay, well just keep trying. I have somewhere else to be, but I’ll be back later.” And with that Alex turned on her heel and went back downstairs to meet Maggie.

~~~

Alex and Maggie ended up in Noonans, sat across from each other sipping from coffee cups. “I don’t have any news Maggie. Winn is still trying to get into the encrypted data on Carla’s laptop and phone.”

“I didn’t just want to find out what happened to Carla.” Maggie said biting a lip. “How’ve you been?” she didn’t say it but Alex could see Maggie was dying to know more about last night’s phone call from Cassie. 

Alex pulled her phone out from her pocket and showed Maggie her lockscreen, a photo of herself and Cassie hugging that Kara had taken on Cassie’s birthday. “This is Cassie. I adopted her 4 years ago when her mom died in a fire. She was 7. She’s now 11 and has just started Junior High. To answer your next question I’m not dating anyone. I mean I’ve been on a couple of dates since you left but nothing serious.”

Maggie realised her mouth was open and promptly closed it before taking a sip of her coffee trying to maintain composure. Alex was a mom. Alex was single.

“I’m sorry about how things ended between us. But I wanted you to be happy.”

“I was happy with you Maggie. I was so very happy. And when you left I was broken. Kara and I went to Midvale for a bit and then to a wedding in a parallel universe but then I came home and just went through the motions. Sam turned out to be a Worldkiller from Krypton called Reign. She almost killed Kara. Ruby managed to get through to her in the end but it was a trying time for everyone. A lot has happened since you left. You didn’t get in contact. Yes, you sent one text but that was it.”

“I didn’t know what to say. You meant a lot to me and I felt like such a coward when I left. But I just don’t have that maternal instinct that you do. Besides as a cop I didn’t want to be in a situation that would end badly for me and leave a kid without a mom.” Maggie raised her voice slightly, starting to feel defensive. This isn’t how she wanted this meeting to go at all.

“Believe me Maggie I understand. Since Cassie came into my life I rarely do field missions unless it’s absolutely necessary. She’s already lost one mom, I won’t let her lose another.” Alex looked at her lockscreen again and wiped a tear away from her the corner of her eye.

“Tell me about Cassie.” Maggie said, reaching out a hand to Alex.

“She’s wonderful. She likes to read and she hates doing her math homework, Lena and I are working on it but Kara’s not helping. She loves dogs and is always begging me to get one. The first time she called me mom she had a nightmare and I comforted her, she cried, and I cried and then we had ice cream.” 

“She sounds amazing Alex. I’m so happy for you.” Maggie smiled. 

At that moment Alex’s phone rang and Winn’s ridiculous selfie popped up on the screen. “Winn tell me you’ve got news.” Alex’s smile dropped as she nodded along to Winn’s words. “I’ll be there in 10.” Alex hung up her phone and looked back at Maggie who was biting her lip waiting for an update. “Do you remember Roulette? She somehow got herself back to Earth from Slavers Moon and has been colluding with Lillian Luthor to get Aliens off Earth. I’m going to Roulette’s last location to bring her in, do you want to come?” 

Maggie shook her head “I don’t have any tactical gear.” 

“Then you can wait in the car. I know you need closure with Carla.”

Maggie smiled and nodded and the two of them left the coffee shop.

~~~

An hour later Roulette was in custody and Maggie had her closure. Carla had been trying to stop the smuggling ring and Roulette had grown tired of trying to pay her off and just killed her. Maggie also had a bullet wound to her shoulder, but Alex had patched her up and she was going to be fine.

“I told you to wait in the car.” Alex said through gritted teeth as she tied a knot in Maggie’s stitches. 

“The gun was aimed at you Alex I had to do something.” Maggie shrugged before wincing as pain coursed through her shoulder and down her arm. 

“Do you want to meet her? Cassie?” Alex asked as she applied a dressing over the stitches. “She’d really like you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Okay, I won’t make you I just-”

“Mom?” Alex turned to look behind her, finding Cassie stood in the doorway, school bag in one hand, coat in the other.

“J’onn called school and said you were involved in some kind of shooting. You promised me you would avoid field missions.” Cassie dropped her bag and coat and ran to give Alex a hug.

“Cassie I’m fine. I promise. I didn’t know it was going to go down like that.” Alex said smoothing down Cassie’s hair.

Maggie watched Cassie cling to Alex and smiled softly, she tried to scoot off the gurney she was on but winced again, pulling Alex’s attention away from Cassie.

“Maggie get back on the bed, you are in no condition to move right now.”

“You said I was going to be fine.” Maggie pouted.

“Yes, going to be. But currently you can’t move without wincing so sit.”

“Maggie? You’re Maggie?” Cassie asked, a look of awe in her eyes. “J’onn said you jumped in front of a bullet for my mom, is that true?”

“I think J’onn was exaggerating a bit. That’s not exactly what happened.” Maggie said, looking to Alex for help.

“Is that not a bullet wound in your shoulder then?” 

“The kid’s smart Alex.” Maggie chuckled.

Then Cassie did something that neither Alex nor Maggie were expecting. She hugged Maggie. Carefully so as not to aggravate her shoulder, but she still hugged her. “Thank you.” She whispered as she pulled away. Cassie then turned back to her mom “Can Maggie come round for dinner?”

Both Alex and Maggie’s eyes widened at Cassie’s question. “Uh, sure if Maggie wants to, of course she can. She should probably be under obs anyway.” 

“Great. I have so many questions about being a cop. I want to be one when I grow up.”

“Over my dead body.” Alex said hands on her hips.

“Relax Mom. It’s not like you don’t have a dangerous job.”

Maggie laughed. “She’s got your sass Alex.”

~~~

After a lovely dinner and a question and answers session so long Maggie felt like she was being interrogated, Cassie had gone to bed leaving Alex and Maggie on the couch nursing mugs of coffee in silence. 

“She’s a really great kid Alex. You should be proud.” Maggie smiled.

Alex smiled into her mug. “I still love you Maggie, I’ll always love you. But I understand if-”

Alex didn’t get to say any more before Maggie kissed her. “I love you too. If I could take back those last five years I would. But I think it was good for me. I’d like to give it another go if you’ll have me.”

Alex didn’t say anything she just pulled Maggie back in for a longer kiss.

Unbeknownst to the two of them Cassie was in her room with her ear against the door. She pulled her phone out when she heard what Maggie had said and sent Lena a text with only one word. ‘Success!’

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and reviews make me smile :)


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